If those don't tickle your fancy, take a look at the new HTC Fuze. This global phone runs on AT&T's fast 3G network using Windows Mobile 6.1. It's smaller (but thicker) than the iPhone, and boasts a slide-out Qwerty keyboard, touch screen, all the connectivity you'll want and a host of other features, including push-to-talk and a global-positioning system (www.att.com/wireless; $299 with new contract).

IF YOU HAVEN'T YET BOUGHT a car GPS system to tell you where you are and where you're going, and you don't want to splurge $1,000 on a top-end unit, some super deals for less-sophisticated devices abound. The TomTom One 125, a pretty basic but still capable machine with a 3.5- inch color screen, has been discontinued by TomTom but is still available online for around $120.

Traveling on business? The new line of Briggs & Riley briefcases won't help you skip lines or keep your shoes on at airports, but it will make passing through security just that much easier: All of the briefcases contain a padded "SpeedThru" sleeve for a laptop. The sleeve can easily be pulled out for inspection and can pass through X-ray machines. It makes it simple, once you've cleared the inspection area, to slide the sleeve back into the briefcase as you simultaneously struggle to collect your coins and get your belt back on before your pants fall off (www.briggs-riley.com; $160 and up, depending on model).

Carpal-tunnel syndrome isn't a joke, and even those who don't suffer the full symptoms occasionally suffer pain in the wrist, arm and shoulder from typing long hours at a computer keyboard. The Ergo Arm Rest is a perfect solution, one that I have used in various configurations for years. Available with or without a mouse-pad attachment, the swiveling bracket supports the arm in the correct position (www.ergo-items.com; under $100, including mouse pad).

The Zoombak GPS Locator isn't designed to let a wife know whether her cheating husband is really at an evening business meeting, or let a family check whether their kid is actually at a friend's house and not in town bar-hopping. Yet it will do all that -- and help one find a lost pet lost miles from home. Attach the small locator to a dog's collar (or pop it in a coat pocket or family car), and you can open a Website on your home PC or even on a cellphone to see exactly where the device is. But you'll still have to fetch Fido home (www.zoombak.com;$199- to-$249, plus a monthly service fee).

Barron's gadget column has raved about the early models of the Flip, a shirt-pocket-sized movie camera. The latest Flip Mino HD goes one huge step further, allowing high-definition filming. The controls are simple enough for a six-year-old to master (I tested this with my niece, Tulsi). And it's good enough that the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism has bought a bunch for students to carry for recording unexpected news events (www.theflip.com; $230).

JAMES BOND WANNABES might thrill to the small spy-camera/cellphone he uses in Quantum of Solace, the latest movie about the star of Britain's intelligence service. The titanium
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Cyber-shot C902 is not only a full-featured smartphone, but also a five-megapixel camera. It offers autofocus, illuminated-touch icons, 160 megabytes of built-in memory (enough for 100+ high-res photos), as well as the ability to play FM radio, videos and MP3 music. It's splash-proof, too, and is sold "unlocked," meaning that it can be used on a number of cellular systems (www.sonystyle.com; $549).

Like many of my peers, I have virtually done away with CDs, aside from loading them onto my PC and, thus, my MP3 player. But how to listen throughout your home? If you have a WiFi network, the Logitech Squeezebox Boom makes that dead simple.

Logitech Squeezebox Boom; Price: $299 Features: Blasts digital tunes

Just plug this freestanding unit with its built-in speakers anywhere in or around your abode that's reachable by the Wi-Fi signal and your PC-stored music is instantly available. This boombox won't win audio awards, but it's more than good enough for everyday listening. One drawback: The Squeezebox must be plugged in; it has no battery (www.logitech.com; $299).

Another remote device that I really like (but has been criticized by some) is Sling Media's SlingCatcher. SlingCatcher is one big step better than the original SlingBox, which let you control and watch recorded movies or live TV from a digital video recorder on a PC, laptop or even wirelessly over the Internet when you're miles away from home.

The latest SlingCatcher, in addition, lets you reverse the process. Now you can transmit Internet video (or stored photos) from your PC to the big-screen television in your living room or den (www.slingmedia.com; $299).

My wife has long wanted to have outside spotlights to illuminate parts of our garden at night. A nice idea, but the expense of wiring around the garden allowed me to put this on the back burner. Now, there's a solution: the Flipo Solar Spotlight.

Available with wall attachments or ground posts, the unit has a small solar panel that can provide up to nine hours of power to two quite bright LED spotlights, each of which can swivel to illuminate a particular area. Best of all, a remote lets you control them from a distance. (www.flipo.com; $70).

If you can receive strong and clear high-definition TV signals over the air, then the Pinnacle PCTV HD mini Stick is a great toy for you. Just plug this thumb-sized device into a Mac or PC USB port, and you can watch those television channels.

Unfortunately, I could not get any signal inside my home, even using the small antenna accessory. But the stick provided an OK picture when plugged into my laptop as I traveled through city centers. It even worked on the train coming home (www.pinnaclesys.com; $120).

FINALLY, IF NONE of these gadgets appeal to you, consider asking Santa for an IOU to cover the scheduled February 2009 release of Belkin's FlyWire. This device pushes video wirelessly to a TV, allowing you to mount the set on a wall and do away with messy cables. It consists of two boxes, one you attach to the back of the TV and one into which you plug all your video-source units, such as a satellite or cable box, DVD or VHS tape player. Early demos suggest that it provides an excellent high-def picture (www.belkin.com; $1,500).